Radio Control: Helicopters
I WANT to thank all the fellows who've written or called me during the past months. I think I've answered all the letters, but occasionally I lose some in the shop and find them weeks later. I'm getting better though, so if you haven't gotten a reply from me, write again. This month the weather is better, and I've decided to do more flying and less writing. I hope these few ramblings will hold your interest while I recoup a few flying skills. First, for those of us who break helicopters, Lloyd Wheeler of S.C. Modelers called me a few months ago and told me of a method for straightening bent flybars. Lloyd says main rotor shafts may be straightened similarly, but I haven't tried a shaft yet. A pair of pliers or vise, an electric hand drill, and a block of wood are all that are needed to transform a flybar from a lazy "S" to a reasonably straight unit.
Radio Control: Helicopters
IT TAKES perseverance. Some of you guys have been less than successful with your RC helicopter, yet it is apparent that more and more modelers are successful. Why? Because they persevered. We've all read that helicopters do not want to fly. Believe it. But believe also that they will fly if you build the machine exactly as instructed and persist at the task of learning to control the beast. If you are not yet successfully hovering your machine, or if you've tried and have given up prematurely, the following suggestions may help. Assembly: 1) Carefully assemble the helicopter kit exactly in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Most modifications that have been written in various publications may be omitted. Although modifications may improve the performance of the basic kit, they can confuse the beginner during construction and pre-flight set-up. Note: If an experienced RC helicopter flier is available to assist you in construction and set-up, any modifications should be reviewed with him before beginning construction.
Radio Control: Helicopters
GOOD news for RC Helicopter fliers. John Tucker is back to writing the Choppers column for R/C Model Builder. If, like me, you grab at the latest issues of every model mag looking for helicopter articles, look again at R/C Model Builder. Welcome back, John. Over the past few months some of the more proficient helicopter pilots have, no doubt, been thinking about helicopter autorotations. Some are now routinely shutting down their engines and autorotating down to soft landings. Quite a change from the early days of stop-and-go approaches to landings-remember? The engine stopped and the helicopter went all to pieces. Well, autorotations might not have been new when American R/C Helicopters introduced their Commander Helicopter with autorotation modification, but the excitement sure is. If you're excited about trying autorotations, Mike Mas has some suggestions. I have condensed his writing for this column.
Radio Control: Helicopters
ONE of the advantages of flying RC Helicopters is that of being able to demonstrate RC flying in confined areas. Dale Willoughby reports on one such demonstration in the paragraphs below. Of course, as Dale reports, not only Helicopters but also small fixed-wing models participated, and to round out Dale's report I've included photos of those machines as well. To use Dale's final words in a different way, "After all, both activities are recreation." Dale's story of RC demonstration flying at White Sox Park, Chicago, follows. "Nearly 25,000 avid baseball fans were treated to something different the last Sunday in April. In former years model flying demonstrations were limited to Control Line due to space and tricky wind conditions. This year Frank Garcher, genial prexy of Midwest Products, put together a fast-paced, exciting RC flying demonstration between double-header games of the White Sox and Anaheim Angels.
Radio Control: Helicopters
OUR 4th annual East Coast R/C Helicopter Champs were held on August 19, 1979. This year the weatherman really smiled on us. Although the gasoline shortage was still with us to some extent, the contest participation was quite good with 26 entries. I had hoped to see an increase in contestants over last year, especially in the novice category, because of the recent formation of our new club, the New Jersey R/C Helicopter Society. Out of a membership of 32, only three competed and six others came to observe. Yet, at our two fly-ins held in June and July we had a total of 20 members attend, and 10 of these actually flew. I hope to see more of our novices at next year's contest.
